Who Do You Think You Are?

William Benson Solomon Caton

(1872-1959)

Turns out William Caton is my Great, Great, Great Uncle.  I discovered this picture and information about him in a history book from my hometown.  William was one of 8 children, having 5 sisters...it's amazing he even survived his childhood with all those sisters :)  William established the firm "William & Son"" in 1903 and became a prominent figure in my hometown of Terre Haute, but most importantly a man of honesty and hardwork.  Here are some excerpts from the book "History of Vigo County"...

      "William Caton & Son, who are engaged in the general contracting business at Terre Haute, are well-known to the building interests of the city.... building up his reputation by honest skillful work, until he has reached a position of eminence in this field at Terre Haute...His firm is one of the leaders in Terre Haute, and employs 90 men during busy season...Mr Caton is the owner of a fine farm of 240 acres in Prairie Creek Township, Vigo County.  This farm is one of the best in the county, and has been brought to a high state of productiveness.  He has it stocked with pure bred Big Type Poland China swine, and is also a cattle feeder."  

No wonder me and my brother have an affinity for swine and country living.  We even showed pigs in 4-H.  It's amazing to learn of all the commonalities we have with our ancestors, creating a better understanding of who we are today.  Our family is continuing to learn more about our ancestors through our genealogy work and can't wait to discover more personal stories, like this one.